Among them, only Simmons, the 19th pick in this year’s draft, has not proven himself to be at least a promising NFL talent, though his game was almost universally well regarded coming out of Mississippi State and he lasted so long primarily because of a knee injury that will render him unavailable deep into his rookie season. [Unlocked]

Byard was the headliner of a significant group of Titans heading into a contract year. Now GM Jon Robinson can cross his best draft pick so far off that list, and will have the franchise tag at his disposal for Marcus Mariota, Derrick Henry, or Jack Conklin if the Titans are in a position where they must retain one of them and can’t strike a deal before free agency arrives in the spring of 2020.

A year ago, #Titans made @TaylorLewan77 the highest-paid offensive lineman in history. Now, per Schefter’s details, @KB31_Era is the highest-paid safety in NFL history. I sure hope the misconception this team is cheap is dead and buried. Amy Adams Strunk doesn’t deserve it.

The Titans have been consistently rewarding their best players, with Casey, Delanie Walker, Taylor Lewan and now Byard getting paydays. It's the ideal way to build -- rewarding productive draft picks or outside acquisitions for their production and fit. While they have not earned long-term deals ahead of their contract years, the hope now is that Mariota, Henry and Conklin will have seasons that force the Titans to treat them in a similar fashion.